


Happy Birthday Harry

by Toyabear



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Ginny is a good friend, I Do, I hope you like it, I struggled a bit there fam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:33:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toyabear/pseuds/Toyabear
Summary: The wrapping paper was almost identical. The only difference was the color. One was the color of Gryffindor Red with a jaunty golden bow on the top, the other Falmouth Grey with a small note attached to the top. Both of them said they were from Ginny Weasley.
Relationships: Ginny/Neville/Blaise, Harry/Hermione
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46
Collections: Prompt Bank Garage Sale





	Happy Birthday Harry

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [HarmonyandCo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarmonyandCo/pseuds/HarmonyandCo) in the [PromptBankGarageSale](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/PromptBankGarageSale) collection. 



> This story is written based off of a prompt from the Harmony and Co. prompt bank by John Burton Lee. I hope you like it John.

The wrapping paper was almost identical. The only difference was the color. One was the color of Gryffindor Red with a jaunty golden bow on the top, the other Falmouth grey with a small note attached to the top. Both of them said they were from Ginny Weasley.

Harry frowned as he hefted the gifts. It was his 17th birthday and he wasn’t ready for the partying and the gaiety everyone was going to heap on him later. He was happy to have a family of sorts to love on him and wish him many happy returns but...he missed his parents too.

Opening the red printed paper he saw a shrunken bottle of firewhiskey and a broom polish kit. Hidden within the box was a brand new practice snitch, professional grade and a small bag that turned out to contain a brand new set of seeker’s professional grade gloves. It was a great present and very thoughtful. But the small emptiness in his chest didn’t ease. He thought about the offer letters waiting in his trunk for a decision, the private chat he’d had with Minerva McGonagall the other day and heaved a sigh. The gifts were kind, thoughtful...and perfect for someone who was making Quidditch their professional career. Ron would have fainted in envy at one point.

Harry didn’t doubt that this gift came from Ginny. It practically screamed of the fun loving Quidditch mad redhead. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine a life as a professional seeker married to a professional chaser and couldn’t. He tried to imagine a life with Ginny and he could but he rubbed at his chest and shied away from why thoughts of Ginny Weasley left him cold.

He turned his attention to the other box. He wasn’t ready for that either. Instead he picked up a small hastily wrapped package and grinned. This one was obviously from Ron. He opened it to find a box of Bertie Bott’s Beans and a ticket to Alton Towers. Harry chuckled to himself. Ron had adored Thorpe Park much to Herm-her disgust and the two of them had gleefully gone on every ride several times over. It was a good day. Even better was the look on Ron’s face when they told him that there were more places just like it. He was on a kick to try them all. Starting with all the ones in the UK. And ending with Disney World.

Next was the present from Remus. An annotated book of the Marauders greatest pranks. Harry briefly imagined the twin’s drooling over the book and maniacally recreating the scenarios. He shuddered. Best to hide that then.

Every time he picked up a gift his eyes would slide over that grey covered box with small winged falcons, a nod to his favorite team. He thought of late night conversations murmuring to his best friend by the couch, about why he chose the Falcons (that birds were his favorite animals because they were so free) about lots of things. He frowned. He wasn’t thinking of Hermione today. He’d left things a mess and she-no, not going there. He opened his present from Andromeda. It was a set of everyday potions that while not expensive were often tedious to brew. He grinned and added it to his first aid kit.

He opened gift after gift, heart full at the overflow of love for his birthday. There wasn’t a tag from _her_. Harry swallowed his disappointment. He shouldn’t be disappointed. She’d made her feelings clear the last time they spoke. And he...ran away. Like always. Sighing quietly he pulled the last present towards him and looked at the tag. It said Ginny...but the handwriting was Hermione’s. Excited now he opened the box. Heart suddenly racing, Harry tried to choke back the lump in his throat but couldn’t quite manage it. Blinking prickly eyes, he smoothed his hands over the box. This...this was more than he’d ever hoped for. _Hermione,_ he thought. He had to fix this. He had to tell her...he felt the same way. But why would she label the box with Ginny’s name? Determined to ask her he popped out of bed...only to remember that he was still in his pajamas and hadn’t gotten ready for the day yet.

Despite his best intentions, Harry didn’t get a chance to speak to his female best friend until his party at the Leaky that night. She cornered him during a quiet moment and handed him a small box. “Happy Birthday Harry,” she stated quietly. Snagging her by the wrist, he magicked a small piece of parchment into her hand. Lifting her hand to his face he placed a small kiss on her knuckles. “Thank you Hermione.” Offering him a small smile, she melted back into the crowd when their friends clamored around the birthday boy.

Later that night, he found her behind the pub taking a breather outside. She was running her fingers over the parchment he slipped her earlier. He took a minute to just take her in: her wild hair, small stature, and brown skin. In his eyes, she was beautiful. And he wondered how he ever overlooked her. How his eyes ever slid past her because now they were stuck on her. On her beauty and her grace.

“Hermione,” he whispered. She didn’t startle. She’d always been aware of him, and where he was. No matter what. She lifted shining eyes to him, “Did...did you mean it?” Her voice was quavery and small. He hated that hie brought them to this point. To make her unsure of herself. Of him. He shrugged, “Kinda, sorta...I know the song says boyfriend,” he shifted, uncomfortable but trying to push through it. Emotions were not his greatest achievement but for her... “but, you and me, we’re past that. I wanna be your boyfriend, lover, fiance, husband. Everything.”

She beamed at him. “So you listened to the tape?” He laughed. “Of course I did. You made it for me.” She blushed. He took a moment to admire the color of her cheeks. “The fact that it was a list of my mother’s favorite songs just made it better.” Hermione stepped closer to him, still blushing. “I’m glad you liked it then.” She hesitated, then asked, “how’d you know it was me? The tag said Ginny.” She looked genuinely puzzled. He laughed out loud. “You used your own handwriting.” He pointed out. Her bemusement grew stronger then, “no I didn’t. I put a glamour on the writing so it’d look like Ginny’s.”

At that moment, Ginny, who’d come to find the guest of honor spoke up. “It was me.” They both turned to look at her. She stepped towards them, “I took the charm off. I know you agreed to help me find Harry the perfect gift, but after you put all that work into it...even agreeing to those awful detentions with Snape… it felt dishonest to have my name on it, but I knew if I changed the tag you’d get suspicious, so I just hit the tag with a finite after you put it in his room.” Her expression turned mischievous. “And if you come back to the party without having a proper snog for that most excellent birthday present, I’ll hex the both of you.” Turning back the youngest Weasley winked at Harry and went back inside. Leaning against the door, she whispered, “I know you'll take care of him ‘Mione but give him the chance to take care of you too.”

“You alright there Red?” She glanced up at Neville and Blaise standing in the hallway both looking concerned. She smiled and held out her hands to her lovers. “I’m perfectly fine but I’m ready to call it a night.” Giving their hands a small squeeze she added, “let’s go home.”


End file.
